Independent report shows government withholding billions from health and education

WATERLOO — The Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO) is reporting that the Doug Ford government is short-changing key areas like health care and education, while squirrelling away billions for a not-yet-announced reason that will lower the province’s corporate tax revenues. NDP Finance critic Catherine Fife released the following statement:

“People need more nurses and more teachers and education workers — not tax cuts for wealthy corporations.

Doug Ford’s choice to shortchange health care, education and social services has already hurt us — it’s meant longer waits for care and services, too few staff in our kids schools, and a tougher slog to get through the punishing COVID waves.

If the Financial Accountability Officer is right, Ford is planning to take even more away from our health care, our children’s schools and our social services and use that money for corporate tax cuts for his big box buddies. We cannot give him a chance to do that.

Between 2021 and 2024, the FAO calculated a whopping $9.03 billion funding shortfall in health care, another $717 million short in children’s and social services, and a $905 million shortfall in education and post-secondary. Yet, Ford is squirreling away billions in ‘other programs.’ It’s Ford’s priorities in black and white — he’s not here for our families, he’s here for his buddies.”